The tiny, nanoscale materials - quantum dots - Mathew Maye and his research
team create in his Syracuse University chemistry laboratory could potentially
make an important contribution to the nation's ongoing quest to become energy
independent.
Mathew Maye
Detailed analyses of quantum dots require expensive, sophisticated instruments
that are not available at most universities, including SU. However, a new agreement
between Syracuse University and Brookhaven
National Laboratory (BNL) will enable Maye and other SU faculty and students
to use Brookhaven’s state-of-the-art research facilities. The agreement
also encourages SU and Brookhaven scientists and engineers to explore opportunities
for collaborative research in the fields of energy technology development, environmental
sciences, biomaterials, forensic science, engineering and computer science,
the biological sciences, and policy.
“The agreement with Brookhaven—the first such collaborative relationship
in Central New York—will open up new opportunities for interdisciplinary
research for our faculty as well as expanded educational and research opportunities
for both graduate and undergraduate students,” says Vice Chancellor and
Provost Eric Spina. “We are excited about the possibilities and look forward
to a long and fruitful relationship with Brookhaven scientists and engineers.”
One of ten national laboratories overseen and primarily funded by the Office
of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Brookhaven National Laboratory,
located on Long Island in Upton, N.Y., conducts research in the physical, biomedical,
and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security.
Brookhaven also builds and operates major scientific facilities, which are made
available to university, industry, and government researchers.
“This agreement will enable researchers from both institutions to work
together on important scientific challenges using state-of-the-art facilities
at Brookhaven,” said Doon Gibbs, Brookhaven Lab’s Deputy Director
for Science and Technology. “Also, the laboratory has a long legacy of
training future scientists, and we are glad to help educate students at all
levels.”
The agreement also calls for SU and Brookhaven officials to explore options
for opening a satellite location of BNL at the Syracuse Center of Excellence
for research in alternative biofuels. In July, Dacheng Ren, assistant professor
of biomedical and chemical engineering in the L.C. Smith College of Engineering
and Computer Science (LCS), will travel to BNL to explore collaborative opportunities
in biofuel research.
“This is an exciting opportunity for us,” says Mark Glauser, LCS
associate dean for research and doctoral programs. “BNL engineers and
scientists are especially interested in the potential for working with our researchers
due, in a large part, to the extensive biomass that is available in Upstate
New York. We are already developing a faculty cluster with expertise in this
area.”
In addition to exploring research opportunities, Brookhaven scientists and
SU faculty will develop joint educational initiatives for graduate training
and mentoring and expand opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral
educational experiences at BNL, including participation in research projects,
internships, and summer or cooperative employment. Finally, the agreement calls
for collaborative efforts to develop long-term, outreach programs designed to
improve academic performance of K-12 schools to significantly increase the number
of students qualified to attend college in New York State.
“The College of Arts and Sciences has a legacy of training bright graduate
and undergraduate students who go on to become top scientists in their fields,”
says Dean George Langford. “The agreement with Brookhaven will expand
our ability to train new scientists in such emerging fields as neuroscience,
biomaterials, and biotechnology, and in the development of alternative sources
of energy. We are pleased to be part of this new collaboration.”
Maye, an assistant professor of chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences,
explores new ways to synthesize photovoltaic materials—materials that
convert the sun’s energy into electricity. His goal is to build materials
for devices that are more efficient than current solar cells, weigh less, cost
less, and can be produced in a more eco-friendly manner.
In August, Maye will travel to Brookhaven with student members of his research
team to conduct experiments on his photovoltaic quantum dots at BNL’s
Center for Functional Nanomaterials and, in the future, plans to use BNL’s
sophisticated National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS). In the Center for Functional
Nanomaterials, researchers take advantage of high-precision electron and optical
microscopes to visualize materials, and of advanced lithography equipment to
make nanomaterials. The NSLS enables scientists to use intense, focused x-rays
to perform experiments not otherwise possible at their own laboratories.
“This exciting opportunity will open the door for us to examine our quantum
dots at the level of the individual particle,” Maye says. “We will
work with BNL scientists, who have the experimental expertise and equipment
to help us better understand nanoscale properties. Additionally, our goal is
to train students in my lab to use these instruments and to have them experience
the advanced scientific techniques and great scientific culture at Brookhaven.”